Author Archives: theamericanplutarch

Vespasian Bradford of early 17th century London was a craftsman belonging to the city livery company, or guild, of cooks, people involved in the preparation of food. Vespasian’s namesake was the Roman Emperor Vespasian, who ruled Rome from 69 to … Continue reading →

William and Margaret Harwood Hawkins were among the first English settlers of Rhode Island. William, by trade a glove-maker, was a native of Exeter, England, born in 1609; his parents were William Hawkins and Katharine Gonson. William, Jr, sailed from … Continue reading →

The grinding movement of time toward the end was slow and steady, one day following another, night falling expectantly, darkness ruling the land until the hues of dawn foretold the beginning of a new day like all the others. The … Continue reading →

People throughout the ancient Mediterranean believed that the divine spoke to humans through dreams. Such was the experience of the young woman, which brought images so vivid, a conversation so easily recalled, that the sights and sounds etched on the … Continue reading →

The world was in need of a savior; then a star appeared, an astral phenomenon seen in the east.             Those who witnessed the rising star on the endless desert horizon were seeking signs of the will of heaven, the … Continue reading →

Happy is the person who does not walk in the way of sinners. . . . Happiness comes from acting according to God’s will. This simple truth is so obvious and necessary, it should so drive all human actions and … Continue reading →

God is mysterious. God is unknowable. God’s ways are unfathomable. Yet like the wind, the air we breathe, God’s presence is unmistakable. Reasoning, trying to figure out God and His ways, is a dead end. Feeling, intuition, sensing His presence, … Continue reading →

My book, “Ebenezer Hazard, Jeremy Belknap, and the American Revolution,” has been republished by Routledge. Ebenezer Hazard was a surveyor of post roads and scientist during the War for Independence. Jeremy Belknap was a clergyman, scientist, and historian. Their epistles … Continue reading →

Harriet E. Jenkins was born in Vermont sometime in 1815, possibly to John and Mary Jenkins. She was a little girl of 12 in 1828 when she worked on a sampler using needle and thread. She sewed white thread on … Continue reading →

Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis is a strange story about a man who awakes one day to find himself transformed, or metamorphosed, into a bug-like creature with many small skinny legs, antennae, and a hard shell. His appetites change and he can … Continue reading →